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Description:
The Fasting Insulin bloodspot is designed to detect insulin resistance (metabolic syndrome), a sign of diabetes, pre-diabetes, and heart disease. If you have pre-diabetes or diabetes, you’ve likely heard of the medical term “insulin resistance syndrome” or “metabolic syndrome”. Insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome describe a combination of health problems that have a common link—an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease. The cluster of medical conditions that make up the insulin resistance syndrome places a patient at risk of developing type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). It is estimated that 34% of adult Americans have insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome. Insulin is a hormone that metabolizes fats and carbohydrates. When the body is subjected to an overabundance of these compounds, it often develops insulin resistance, making it difficult to break them down and digest them. Normally, food is absorbed into the bloodstream in the form of sugars such as glucose and other basic substances. The increase in sugar in the bloodstream signals the pancreas (an organ located behind the stomach) to increase the secretion of insulin. This hormone attaches to cells, removing sugars from the bloodstream to convert them into energy. With insulin resistance, the body's cells have difficulty responding to the action of the insulin hormone. To compensate for the insulin resistance, the pancreas secretes an overabundance of insulin. People with this syndrome have insulin resistance and high levels of insulin in the blood as a marker of the disease rather than a cause. Over time people with insulin resistance can develop diabetes as the high insulin levels can no longer compensate for elevated sugar intake. |
Tests for:
Insulin resistance, a sign of diabetes, pre-diabetes, and heart disease Symptoms and conditions:
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 2 Diabetes
Analytes measured:
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